Storm damage halts growth of Memphis youth center

Dust and plaster fell to the floor as Barbara Nesbit surveyed the damage inside Vance Avenue Youth Development Center. "This is the office. Or, this was the office," said Nesbit, executive director of the center.

A large, old tree about six feet in diameter at its trunk was uprooted outside the center Friday when severe weather moved through the Memphis area. It landed on the southeast section of the center, two connected modular buildings that underwent significant renovations and additions in the past year.

A wooden deck was installed in June as an access ramp for disabled children. A garden with fruits and greens and a new wooden fence were added to the 19-year-old center's grounds over the summer.

Nesbit, 53, said more than 100 youths regularly visit the center, which provides meals, computer access, books, and other amenities and educational resources to at-risk children.

On Thursday afternoon, more than a dozen of them came to the nonprofit center to help cleanup efforts.

The center's new deck was partially crushed under the tree and was blanketed with bark and branches. Other roof damage led to some of the center's electronics being damaged by water. Lights inside were shorted out, darkening some rooms.

Nesbit estimated the felled tree caused about $45,000 in damage. But she was most concerned that the center's kids, who affectionately refer to her as "Miss Barbara," might have no place to "keep out of the streets" until lengthy repairs are completed.

"They just love this place," she said.

Nesbit set up a canopy tent on the center's grounds Thursday, offering food and drinks to kids who stopped by. Nearby, on the roof of the building, friends and volunteers with chain saws worked to break down a large limb resting on the roof.

The building is scheduled to be inspected for structural integrity after cleanup is completed, Nesbit said.

She and her husband personally fund the center, Nesbit said, but occasionally receive donations from local churches and businesses.